Chapter 414: Chapter 408: Behind Shamil
"So, you’ve met with that fellow Shamil and promised him provisions for 4,000 men and 3,000 muskets, along with the necessary ammunition supplies?"
At this moment, in the Caucasus Command of the Ottoman Empire, the envoy returning from Shamil was undergoing interrogation from the Caucasus Command, and the person interrogating him was none other than Abdi Pasha, the commander of the Caucasus Command.
"That’s correct, Commander! I believe arming Shamil is absolutely necessary! The Empire can use their help to weaken the Russian Empire’s influence in the Caucasus Region, and what we lose is just provisions for a few thousand men and a few thousand guns!" The envoy argued with reason to Abdi Pasha, then added, "No matter how you look at it, I can’t find any reason to refute it!"
Faced with this envoy who was either foolish or naive, Abdi Pasha questioned like a barrage of artillery: "Do you know Shamil’s background? Are you aware of Shamil’s rise? Do you know who is truly supporting him?"
Abdi Pasha’s successive questions made the previously confident envoy somewhat flustered.
Could it be that Shamil had hidden motives?
The envoy inwardly blamed himself for being mesmerized by Shamil’s "flowery rhetoric," losing even the most basic discernment ability, and being led by the nose by Shamil!
"Commander, is it possible that Shamil didn’t rely solely on his own power to gain a foothold in the Caucasus?" The envoy asked Abdi Pasha uneasily.
"Rely on himself?" Abdi Pasha’s lips curled into a mocking smile, "Shamil is operating right under the Russian Empire’s nose, and Russia’s defenses in the Caucasus Region are watertight.
Yet, in such an environment, Shamil still managed to arm a force to disrupt the Russian Empire’s logistical supply. Shouldn’t you be suspicious? Also, throughout his resistance against Russia, his arms couldn’t possibly have been all looted!"
Abdi Pasha gradually led the envoy into a chain of suspicion. Now, in the envoy’s mind, Shamil was filled with all sorts of suspicions, suspicions that the envoy initially overlooked.
"Commander, I..." The envoy swallowed his spit and looked at Abdi Pasha.
"Let me tell you! That fellow Shamil was once one of those who followed Muhammad Ali to oppose the Ottoman Empire!" To prevent misunderstanding, Abdi Pasha specifically clarified, "I’m talking about Muhammad Ali of Egypt, not the current Commander-in-Chief of the army."
"I see!" The envoy nodded, his face full of shock, "Shamil was actually once part of those opposing the Empire!"
"Of course!" Abdi Pasha shrugged, speaking in a nonchalant tone, "Who could blame them when the Empire signed treaties that harmed their interests! Naturally, Shamil opposed the Empire!"
"Are you referring to the Treaty of Hadrian’s Wall?" The envoy immediately understood the specific meaning of the "unequal treaty" from Abdi Pasha’s words.
According to the Treaty of Hadrian’s Wall, the Ottoman Empire had to cede some of its interests in the Danube River Region and the Caucasus Region to the Russian Empire.
The Ottoman Empire thus lost actual control over the Danube River Region and the Caucasus Region.
"Seems like you’re not that foolish!" Abdi Pasha raised an eyebrow and said lightly.
"And then?" The envoy continued to ask.
"Then Shamil began to resist the Russian Empire’s rule, and there’s always been a massive entity supporting his rebellion against the Russian Empire. They provided Shamil with ample financial resources and military commanders, allowing him to successfully survive the early stages!" The envoy heard a brand new version from Abdi Pasha.
"Who’s behind Shamil? The Persian Kingdom?" The envoy questioned Abdi Pasha again with doubt.
"The Persian Kingdom? How dare they provoke the Russian Empire!" Abdi Pasha gently dusted off his trouser legs, "I’m talking about the Kingdom of Britain!"
"The Kingdom of Britain?!!!!" Abdi Pasha’s answer greatly shocked the envoy. Immediately, a new question arose in the envoy’s mind.
Why would the Kingdom of Britain support Shamil in the Caucasus?
When the envoy voiced this doubt to Abdi Pasha, Abdi Pasha shook his head and said to the envoy, "I don’t know either! Perhaps it’s because the Anglo-Saxons like to stir up trouble!"
What Abdi Pasha didn’t know was that Britain supported Shamil to use his hand to keep the Russian army busy, preventing it from addressing issues in Afghanistan and Persia.
In fact, Britain’s attention to British India had surpassed its "counterpart" in Europe (the Hanover Kingdom).
In the past, to safeguard British India’s security, the Kingdom of Britain even launched an expedition to Afghanistan, ultimately ending in a complete military failure.
The Empire’s graveyard buried a batch of "elite" officers and soldiers, and since then, part of Britain’s attention gradually turned to the Caucasus Region.
Shamil thus became a very suitable collaboration partner for them. Abdi Pasha possibly never expected that the Kingdom of Britain would extend the "front line" defense of British India all the way to the Caucasus Region.
"Since Shamil has the support of the Kingdom of Britain, they would not need our help at all! So why would he still seek our assistance?" The envoy "found" a "loophole" in Abdi Pasha’s words.
"The reason is simple; since 1848, the Kingdom of Britain no longer supports them, which is why their power rapidly weakened and was consequently crushed by the Russian Army!" Abdi Pasha spread his hands and spoke to the envoy.
"What should we do then? Should we stop supporting Shamil?" The envoy asked Abdi Pasha in confusion.
"Originally, I intended to hold Shamil’s resources hostage and make him obediently listen to the Ottoman Empire! But as it stands now, you have already agreed to their conditions!" Abdi Pasha sighed and said to the envoy before his eyes.
If the envoy hadn’t had powerful backing behind him, with what he has done, he would’ve earned himself a one-way ticket to the Ottoman Empire’s prison.
Now, Abdi can only help the envoy patch things up smoothly. He walked slowly to the envoy’s side, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly: "Be a bit more careful next time! Don’t make this mistake again!"
"I have understood!" The envoy said one sentence to Abdi Pasha.
Then, Abdi Pasha wrote a letter to Constantinople, in which he praised the envoy’s "brave deeds" and complimented him for winning over Shamil’s armed forces to cooperate with the Ottoman Empire at minimum cost.
After Abdi Pasha’s embellishments, what was initially the envoy’s misstep of making decisions without orders became a good deed of "courage and wisdom".
When Abdi Pasha sent the letter to Constantinople, the envoy was understandably promoted by one rank once more.
Of course, that was a matter for the future.
After writing the letter in front of the envoy, Abdi Pasha sealed it, then let out a long sigh, and said to the envoy: "Now we just have to see if Shamil is truly willing to cooperate with the Imperial Army’s actions."
"If they are unwilling, what should we do?" The envoy asked nervously.
"Then we can only pray that Shamil can win! If they lose... hmm..." Abdi Pasha grunted twice, indicating his meaning silently.
On July 2, the troops stationed in the Caucasus Region by the Ottoman Empire followed the agreement reached with Shamil. Supplies of food and ammunition were continuously sent into the Caucasus Region jungles.
With support from the Ottoman Empire, Shamil once again gained the capital to act. This time, he personally risked traveling to a village in the Caucasus Region to persuade young men there to join him in resisting the Russian Empire.
Under Shamil’s personal appeal and reasoning, more than 2,000 young men from the Chechnya and Georgia regions joined Shamil’s ranks.
Shamil’s force suddenly expanded to over 3,000 people, and almost every new recruit received a musket, though some were old and some were quite new.
Subsequently, Shamil used the Russian Empire’s sentry troops to "baptize" this newly formed army.
Within a few days, the Russian troops in the Caucasus Region were "lit up" all over.
The Russian Army commander had no choice but to declare another sweep to prevent residents of the Caucasus Region from "going astray".
While Shamil’s forces and the Russian border troops clashed in the Caucasus Region, miles away, the Ottoman Empire’s delegation also arrived at Marseille Port.
As the leader of the Ottoman Empire’s delegation, Rifat Pasha felt an unprecedented sense of modernization upon entering Marseille Port town.
With layer upon layer of mansions and apartments on both sides of the street, and the men and women walking down the street, Rifat Pasha saw vitality in them that he had never observed in Constantinople.
"Welcome to Marseille! Esteemed Rifat Pasha!" A voice reached the ears of Rifat Pasha, who was admiring the scenery of Marseille. Rifat quickly looked up: "And you are?"
"I am Fleury, a Brigadier General of the French Empire. By order of His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte, Emperor of the Empire, I am here to welcome the Ottoman Empire delegation!" The voice belonged to none other than Fleury.
After Fleury successfully replaced Jerome Patterson last time, Jerome Bonaparte had a renewed appreciation for Fleury. This time, the Brigadier General once again had Jerome Bonaparte entrust him with an important task.
Upon hearing it was under orders from the Emperor to welcome them, Rifat Pasha showed a look of being overwhelmed by favor and said: "On behalf of the Ottoman Empire, I thank the French Empire for their kindness and assistance to the Ottoman Empire!"